Hope & Action: Inside a Children’s Protest to Save the Environment

With WhatsApp groups and organised protests, these kids in Delhi fight for their right to a future.

(Photo: Erum Gour/The Quint)

Video editor: Sandeep Suman
Cameraperson: Aishwarya S Iyer, Priyanka Rudrappa

World Environment Day 2019 is here and on its eve children in Delhi tell us how, with active WhatsApp groups and organised protests, they fight for their right to a future.

“We do have a [WhatsApp] group.  It's called ‘The extinction rebellion'. That has around 200 members on it. We have a separate one for kids where we organise these protests and strikes,” 16-year-old Aman Sharma tells us.

He has attended several such rallies over the years. Twelve-year-old Ishaan Sindave tells us he wasn’t always passionate about the environment. “It became a passion when I got elected for environment secy in grade five when I actually didn't expect it at all. I was going to go for president or a magazine editor. Then I slowly started seeing that this environment thing is pretty decent and helping a proper cause, not just our school.”

A lot of them told us that the idea of attending these protests is looked down upon by their friends and classmates. Fifteen-year-old Manya Anandi tells us that a lot of people keep telling her that ‘she is smart and will get into college easily’. They think she is doing it only for the credits. However she quickly adds, “The fact is that even if the authorities decide social work does not matter anymore, I will still do this.”

Nine-year-old Armaan says he does not bring up the environment and these protests with his friends, he says they only care about heroes, fighting and stuff.

Kangana Sood, 16, says she repeatedly fights with her friends and family as she is very critical about certain things. “For example people leave the air conditioner on in their hotel rooms sometimes or they waste half a glass of water. When I see all this I pick a fight with them,” she says.